Softball: Extra Innings (4/13)

Before we get to today’s games, some news regarding one of the Shore Conference’s top outfielders. Raritan senior Tiffany Dahlquist, a first-team All-Shore selection last season, is no longer with the team, according to Rockets coach Aado Kommendant, who did not give a reason for the separation.

After reviewing Dahlquist’s Twitter account, she tweeted on April 10, the night before Raritan’s game against St. John Vianney: “So about trying in tomorrow’s game? I never did have much luck against SJV. So I’ll keep my effort to a minimum #conservingenergy.” That’s not the type of thing coaches or teammates want to read, but regardless of the reasons for Dahlquist’s departure, it takes a major bat out of Raritan’s lineup. It’s an unfortunate situation for she and the team, which is currently ranked No. 7 in the APP Top 10 and plays its next game Saturday against Livingston at Mount St. Dominic. I guess something had to go down on Friday the 13th.

Moving on, I took in No. 4 Wall’s 8-1 nondivisional win against Ocean today, and I already knew the Crimson Knights could hit, but after seeing them in person, I couldn’t help but think back to the 2007 Wall team that won the NJSIAA Group III title. That team, led by Maggie Margadonna and Cara Vitale, absolutely raked, and that’s all this Wall team has done since the start of the season. It scored 30 runs over its last two games entering the Ocean game, is averaging 9.25 per game and has scored five or more in seven of eight.

Sydney Canessa and Dani Petrone have been nearly impossible to get out, and players like Nicole Petrone, Chickie Clayton, Carly Herbert and so on have all contributed plenty. While Canessa might be the best all-around player at the Shore, I’m not quite ready to put her and Dani Petrone in the same class as the Margadonna-Vitale combo, and I’m also not sure this team’s lineup is quite as deep as 2007, but the similarities are there, and they extend into the circle.

In Ashley Campbell and Kelsey Higgins, the 2007 team that defeated Ramapo in the Group III final hardly had dominant pitching. That team was about hitting and defense, with Campbell and Higgins asked to pitch smart and keep the team in games long enough for the offense to push enough runs across to win. This season, senior Alexis Carlsson, who was an outfielder in 2011, was forced into full-time pitching duties when Kirby Marron, Wall’s junior varsity pitcher last season, suffered an injury. Carlsson has struggled with her command over the first two weeks – she acknowledged as much after today’s game – but she’s also done enough to go 8-0, including wins over Freehold Township’s Jordyn White, Howell’s Carsin Conner and Ocean’s Gianna Kinhofer, who are among the Shore’s better pitchers.

Carlsson shut out the Spartans for six innings today before giving up a run on three hits in the top of the seventh when the game was no longer in doubt, and Wall coach Tony Vodola said he’s noticed her confidence level rise with each outing. And Carlsson showed some of that confidence today when, with a run already in and the bases loaded in the seventh, she struck out No. 2 hitter Allyson Steinberg and got Kinhofer to ground out to end the game.

While speaking with Carlsson, who has years of pitching experience albeit none on the varsity level, following the game, she was well-spoken and understood her role on the team and what she needs to do to continue to improve and help Wall win games. Maybe the most encouraging thing for the Crimson Knights is that Carlsson said she sees being thrust into this role as a challenge. She’s not scared. Campbell wasn’t scared either when she had to beat a more talented pitcher, Julie Shaw, in the Group III final in 2007. She just went out and did it in a 4-1 victory. I’m not saying Wall’s going to Toms River. It’s much too early for that. But with Middletown South moved to Central Group IV and Jackson Liberty seemingly in line for a rebuilding season, the door is wide open.

More from Friday’s games after the jump.

– There was no shortage of late-inning dramatics around the Shore today. Amanda Santoro led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and scored on Jenna Appello’s two-bagger as Lacey beat Toms River North, 5-4. Jenna Fleck’s solo homer tied the score at 1 in the fourth, and Sara Wright’s two-run double helped the Lions take the lead in the sixth, but the Toms River North scored three runs in the top of the seventh to tie things at 4. At Manchester, Nicole Penna and Tori Kravtzoff hit two-run homers in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, to make things close, but Jackson Liberty escaped with an 8-6 win. Sam Conners homered three times, including a big three-run shot in the fourth, for the Lions. She drove in five. Lauren Reidy went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI, and Kelly Guerin was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI as Holmdel beat Point Boro, 7-6. Holmdel scored five in the bottom of the fifth after Point Boro scored twice in the top of the inning to push its lead to 6-2. Ali Blisnuk and Cassie Arnone each had two hits and an RBI for the Panthers, and Danielle Schena drove in two.

– Howell scored four unearned runs in the top of the fourth to beat Manalapan, 4-3, despite a strong performance from Braves righty Caitlin Gee. A dropped fly ball started the inning, and a few batters later, Carsin Conner hit a two-run single. Julia Moscato followed with a two-run homer to give the No. 8 Rebels a 4-0 lead. Manalapan scored twice on a throwing error in the sixth to cut it to 4-3. Gee struck out 12, walked one and held Howell to four hits. The Braves, who also nearly beat No. 3 Middletown South before losing in extra innings, are starting to take on the look of a team I wouldn’t want to see in the early rounds of the county or conference tournaments.

– Danielle Gabriel continued to pitch well, striking out 15 and walking none, and Toms River South continued what has quietly been a strong two weeks, beating Canandaigua (N.Y.), 9-1, to move to 5-3 on the season. Ashley Turton went 2-for-3 and hit a pair of two-run doubles. Gabriel has 32 strikeouts and one walk in her last two games. Another big pitching performance took place at Rumson-Fair Haven, where Red Bank’s Alexis Hines threw a five-inning perfect game with three strikeouts in the Bucs’ 13-0 win. Toms River East’s Jordan Weed and Sarah Bencivenga also combined on a no-hitter in a five-inning, 11-0 win at Southern. Weed started and went four innings before Bencivenga closed. Gianna DePalma drove in three runs for the Raiders.

– Jackson Memorial’s roller coaster ride continued in the form of a 12-1 victory against Colts Neck. Sarah Freyre went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a homer and four RBI for the Jaguars, who beat No. 6 Brick Memorial and were then 10-runned by No. 2 Toms River East in their previous two games.

– Jenna Nicholl went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI, and Taylor Sheridan was 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI in Keyport’s 9-3 win against Keansburg. Also in B Central, Mater Dei beat Henry Hudson, 6-3, in a game that saw the teams combine for 13 errors. Emilie Boman homered for the Seraphs.

– Some one-sided nondivisional games today. This time, 12 runs was enough for Manasquan, which beat Monmouth, 12-2, behind Kaitlyn Anderson’s 3-for-3 day with two doubles and three RBI. Courtney Tylutki struck out nine and walked one while giving up one run on one hit, and Rebecca Drake went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI to lead another C Central team, Monsignor Donovan, past St. Rose, 10-1.

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About Robert Ziegler

Robert Ziegler is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and has been an Asbury Park Press staff writer since September 2006.

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Chris RotoloChris Rotolo graduated from The College Of New Jersey in May of 2011 and has been working in the Asbury Park Press' Sports Department since September of 2010 covering BlueClaws Baseball, Ice Hockey, Track & Field, and Cross Country, Tennis, and more. Follow along on Twitter: @rote7123E-mail Chris

David BiggyPart of the Asbury Park Press family since 1999, originally with the Ocean County Observer, David Biggy was brought to Neptune as a sports features writer in August 2010. Follow David on Twitter @BiggyAPP.E-mail David

Steve FalkSteve Falk has been a high school football writer at APP for a year. Previously, he was at the Ocean County Observer for 18 seasons.E-mail Steve